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Strategic Vision -Problems and challenges facing Palestinian civil society The Ministry of NGO Affairs believes that its establishment, together with its objectives, is linked closely with the sector’s needs, it aims to serving the sector and make a contribution towards its development and organization. Based on the above, part of the study begins by analyzing the major problems and challenges that face Palestinian civil society. Based on this analysis, the strategic objectives that need to be reached will be defined, in order to face these challenges and problems. The Ministry does not claim that it will achieve all the objectives, or even that it is its duty or within its ability to achieve these goals individually, but it believes that it can contribute; and in a serious manner it will strive to achieve these goals in cooperation and coordination with the NGOs and the other civil society institutions. In order to more clearly define the intentions of the Ministry, the expected outputs have been identified through the Ministry’s efforts during the last two years of its activity. The goals and expected outputs in the annex show the link between each goal and the expected output. B- Problems and challenges facing Palestinian civil society There are numerous factors and challenges that have contributed and still contribute in limiting the effectiveness of Palestinian civil society’s work. The first of these factors is the role of the Israeli occupation and its oppressive and destructive measures that it has and still is imposing on our people and the various institutions and civil society organizations over the last three decades. The Palestinian NGOs and the other grass-root organizations have managed to remain steadfast and even grow and develop, despite the harshness of the surrounding environment and circumstances. They have managed to prove themselves at all levels and provide the required services in a highly professional manner in the absence of a Palestinian National Authority. Despite the fact that the occupation is considered as the direct problem factor because of its destructive impact on Palestinian civil society, it is also considered as an indirect factor of various other problems, which have contributed concurrently, or individually in influencing NGOs in an equivalent manner. It should be taken into consideration that various NGOs have overcome these challenges and have managed to set a model for local, Arab and international NGOs. The main problems and challenges can be summarised as follows: First: Weak organizational and professional structures This weakness results mainly from several sub reasons, as follows: 1. Limited expertise and qualified staff 2. Insufficiency of internal systems/financial and administrative systems 3. Poor organizational structures 4. Centralization of internal leadership 5. Confusion between professionalism and trade unionism 6. Dominance of a charitable and philanthropic mentality over a development one 7. Some NGOs operate in isolation from the outside world 8. Limited exposure of some NGOs to Arab and other international expertise Second: Poor transparency and professionalism This results from the following: 1. Absence of law and internal systems regulating civil society work during the past decades 2. Poor professional internal and external supervision 3. Poor internal systems in NGOs and the limitation of their applicability 4. Poor financial and administrative systems Third: Deterioration of voluntarism and its importance at the level of the NGO and society This is a result of: 1. Deterioration of the economy 2. Weakness of social ties and the deterioration of the social fabric 3. Local community is not receptive to the concept of voluntarism 4. Dominance of traditional concepts 5. Lack of programs that try to streamline voluntary work Forth: Competition and duplication This is a result of: 1. Limited coordination mechanisms and frameworks between NGOs and the exchange of information is also limited. 2. Lack of awareness regarding the importance and necessity of cooperation and collaboration with some parties. 3. Coordination and cooperation between NGOs and both the PNA and the private sector is not comprehensive. 4. Lack of incentives for common work and cooperation 5. Some funding policies have contributed in encouraging competition and duplication. Fifth: Decrease and scarcity of funding This is a result of: 1. Lack of regular government aid 2. Decrease of local support to NGOs and of the private sector 3. Inability of numerous NGOs to draft a project proposal 4. Non existence of income generating projects and ways to develop them Sixth: The independence and freedom of civil work is restricted This is a result of: 1. Israeli policies which are hostile to civil society and its activities 2. A difference in the concept and understanding of the role of NGOs and the PNA in society 3. Dominance of the sectoral mentality in some NGOs and having a closed-mind to others. Seventh: NGOs do not adopt national development priorities This is a result of: 1. Poor mechanisms that help NGOs in defining and preparing the National Development Plan and the sectoral development plans 2. Poor coordination and exchange of information between NGOs on the one hand, and NGOs and governmental institutions on the other 3. Sectoral strategies that are incomplete on the national level 4. Some funding agencies impose their priorities, agendas and projects The above mentioned reasons combined with the deterioration of the relationship between NGOs and the social movements (women’s movement, environment, labor, farmers etc) and the political factions on the other, will lead to the regression of NGOs and their poor effectiveness and thus to their non-sustainability. Furthermore, some international NGOs try to compete with local NGOs, this leads to the negligence of some major development sectors in Palestine, and to the negligence of the some rural, poor and marginalized areas. This will weaken local institutional developmental impact in general. |